Grief Therapy & Counselling

GriefingAlthough one usually associates grieving with loss due to death, there are in fact various reasons for grieving; one relatively frequent reason is loss due to the end of an intimate relationship. For uncovering road blocks to successful grieving, existential and supportive psychotherapy are usually helpful.

Existential psychotherapy is a style of therapy that places emphasis on the human condition as a whole. Existential psychotherapy uses a positive approach that applauds human capacities and aspirations while simultaneously acknowledging human limitations. The fact that each one of us and each one of our loved ones must die at some unknown time may be a source of deep anxiety, and this may tempt us to ignore the reality and necessity of death in human existence.

By reducing our awareness of death however, we may fail to make decisions that can actually safeguard or even enrich our lives. At the other end of the spectrum, people who are overly conscious of the fact that death is inevitable may be driven to a state of neurosis or psychosis. The key, according to existential psychotherapy, is to strike a balance between being aware of death without being overwhelmed by it.